Rotary engine



2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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I #III NORRIS warms co movaumo" WASHINGTD No. 623,750. Patented Apr. 25,I899.

c. L. wanna. ROTARY ENGINE.

(Appliqation filed July 16, 1898.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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ROTARY ENGIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,750, dated April25, 1899.

Application filed July 16, 1898. Serial No. 686,137. (No model.)

T0 to wltont it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. WEIHE, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Minden, in the county of WVashington and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in rotary engines; and itconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fullyset forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of my device. Fig. 2is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is anelevation of the upper end of the drive shaft and wings carried thereby,between each pair of which the movable pistons or blades are mounted;and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3, taken through the spacesbetween the wings, the lower section of the cylinder being shown partlybroken away and the shaft in elevation.

The object of my invention is to construct a rotary engine which shallbe simple, one which shall operate noiselessly and with a minimum amountof friction, and one possessing other and further advantages moreapparent from a detailed description of the invention, which is asfollows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the upper section, and 2 thelower section, of the steam -cylinder, the two sections being securedtogether by bolts 3, passed through the flanges 4 and 5 of therespective sections. The flange of the lower section is extended beyondthat of the upper one, the extension serving as a means for mounting theengine to any convenient base or support. (Not shown.) Passing throughan ordinary stuffing box or gland 6, carried by the lower section 2, isa depending drive-shaft 7, to whose lower end may be secured a series offanblades 8 and whose upper end terminates in a supporting-flange 0, bywhich the shaft is carried, the base of the flange being mounted onroller-bearings 10, which travel in a groove 11, formed between an innerannular ledge 12 and the inner surface of the section 2. The ledge 12 issufliciently depressed below the plane of the inner surface of thesection 2 to bring the upper face of the flange 9 flush with saidsurface. (See Fig. 5.) The shaft 7 is mounted eccentrically to the innercurve of the vertical walls of the cylinder, theupper face of the flangeand the adjacent surface of the section 2 serving to support during therotation of the shaft the cross blades or pistons 13, which areconstrained to follow the vertical walls of the cylinder, being guidedin their reciprocation resulting from such constrained movement by theadjacent edges of the vertical wings 14, between which the blades pass,the upper edges of the blades being substantially flush with the upperedges of the wings. The length of each blade is very nearly equal to thefull diameter of the circle about which the vertical walls of thecylinder are described, the blades being permitted to span one anotherby cutting away a portion of the body of each along their adjacentsides, one blade being supported along the full length of its loweredge,and the spanning blading resting on the portion of the lower edgeremaining on each side of the cut-awayportion. (See Fig. 5.) The sectionin Fig. 3 is taken alonga plane below the point where the upper wall ofthe passage of the exhaust-pipe 15 enters the cylinder, the continuityof said Wall with the vertical wall of the cylinder being shown by thedotted line.

The upper section of the cylinder is provided with an extension 1,through a stuffing-box 16 of which passes a steam-pipe 17. Thesteam-passage at the inner end or base of the extension 1 issubstantially triangular in outline. (See dotted lines in Fig. 2.) Thebase of the triangle referred to lies along the lower edge oftheinnersurface of awall 17, inclined to the exposed faces of themovable blades, the upper section 1 being so coupled to the lower onethat the steam as it follows along the Wall 17 impinges against theblades.

of the position the blade occupies after the exhaust-port has beenpassed, it being understood that the said triangular opening is cut fromthe bottom wall of the upper section 1, between which and the adjacentsurface of the lowerseetion the blades are confined and are free torotate without material friction. The dotted position of the blades inFig. 3 shows their relative position after apartial rotation of theshaft.

It is apparent that slight changes can be made in the details withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention. It is apparent, too, that thedrive-shaft may be coupled to any machinery which it is desired shouldbe driven.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a rotary engine, acylinder comprising an upper and lower flanged section, a blade confinedbetween the adjacent inner surfaces of the two sections and having amedial cut-away portion whereby two such blades may span each other, adrive-shaft, a flange carried at the upper end thereof, and supporteddirectly by the lower section,wings projecting a suitable distancebeyond the plane of the flange and distributed along the peripheral edgeof said flange, the blades be ing guided between the wings, one of theblades resting with its full edge along the face of the flange and thesurface of thelower section contiguous thereto, and the other bladeresting on so much of its lower edge as remains on each side of thecut-away portion, a steam-pipe extension leading from the upper section,and an exhaust-pipe leading from the lower section, substantially as setforth.

2. In a rotary engine, a suitable cylinder comprising an upper and lowersection, a drive-shaft depending from and mounted eccentricallyin thelower section, a flange at the upper terminal of the shaft for thesupport thereof, a series of wings projecting from and in continuationof the periphery of the flange, the wings being separated by spacesdiametricallyin alinement with one another, blades confined between thebasal wall of the upper section and the adjacent wall of the lowersection and guided by the walls of the spaces between the wings,-andextending outwardl y beyond the wings to contact with the walls of thecylinder, and upwardly substantially flush with the upper edges of thewings, the blades having theiradjacent edges cut away to allow the sameto span one another, the supporting edges of the blades being adapted toslide along the upper face of the flange and the adjacent flush surfaceof the bottom of the cylinder, an annular groove formed at the base ofthe cylinder, the inner wall of the groove being bounded by an annularledge depressed below the inner surface of the base of the cylinder, thegroove being adapted to receive antifriction-balls, a steam-supply pipecarried by, or forming an extension of the upper section and terminatingin an inclined passage for delivering the driving fluid at an incline tothe blades, and an exhaust-pipe, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary engine, a suitable cylinder comprising an upper and lowerflanged section,adrive-shaft depending from and mounted eccentrically inthe lower section, a flange for the support of the shaft, a series ofwings projecting from and in continuation of the periphery of theflange, the wings being separated by spaces diametrically in alinementwith one another, blades confined between the basal wall of the uppersection and the adjaeentwall of the lower section and guided by thewalls of the said spaces, and extending outwardly beyond the wings tocontact with the walls of the cylinder, and upwardly substantially flushwith the upper edges of the wings, the blades having their adjacentedges cut away to allow the blades to span one another, the supportingedges of the blades being adapted to slide along the upper face of theflange and the adjacent flush surface of the bottom of the cylinder, anannular groove formed at the base of the cylinder, the inner wall of thegroove being bounded by an annular ledge depressed below the innersurface of the base of the cylinder, the groove being adapted to receiveantifrict-ionrollers, a steam-supply pipe carried by, or forming anextension of the upper section and terminating in an inclined passagefor delivering the driving fluid at an incline to the blades, and anexhaust-pipe, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. \VEIHE. Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, LULU A. WIEsEMAN.

